​Mass extinctions have fundamentally shaped the history of life. The renowned K/Pg mass extinction (66 Ma) caused the collapse of dinosaur-dominated terrestrial ecosystems, and the ensuing recovery catalyzed the extraordinary radiation of placental mammals.​ The relative importance of potential K/Pg kill mechanisms (e.g., bolide impact, volcanism) is still debated, and the biotic recovery remains poorly understood. Our research tackles these outstanding challenges through paleontological and geological field work and quantitative analyses of the fossil record at ecologically relevant spatiotemporal scales.

The Hell Creek Project

  • This long-term, large-scale, multi-investigator project in the Hell Creek region of northeastern Montana offers a detailed view of local terrestrial ecosystems during a ~3-Ma window across the K/Pg.

  • Our team aims to (i) refine the temporal framework via radioisotopic dating, paleomagnetics, and biostratigraphy; (ii) document past environments via analysis of plant fossils, ancient soils, and isotope geochemistry; and (iii) build a large, stratigraphically dense, and taxonomically diverse fossil record via fieldwork and museum study.

  • We use this study system to track evolutionary and ecological changes in diversity, body size, diet, locomotion, and community structure of taxa leading up to, across, and following the K/Pg.
​
  • We are also working with a large team to model ecosystem-wide food web dynamics leading up to and across the K/Pg. 
​
  • We strive to expand our geographic view of the K/Pg throug ongoing field research in India, Bolivia, Colombia, Spain, and the Denver Basin
Funding: ​Myhrvold & Havranek Charitable Family Fund, David B. Jones Foundation

Relavant Publications

  • ​Wilson, G.P. 2005. Mammalian faunal dynamics during the last 1.8 million years of the Cretaceous in Garfield County, Montana. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 12(1/2):53–76.
  • Archibald, J.D., W.A. Clemens, K. Padian, T. Rowe, N. MacLeod, P.M. Barrett, A. Gale, P. Holroyd, H. Sues, N.C. Arens, J.R. Horner, G.P. Wilson, M.B. Goodwin, C.A. Brochu, D.L. Lofgren, S.H. Hurlbert, J.H. Hartman, D.A. Eberth, P.B. Wignall, P.J. Currie, A. Weil, G.V.R. Prasad, L. Dingus, V. Courtillot, A. Milner, A. Milner, S. Bajpai, D.J. Ward, A. Sahni. Cretaceous Extinctions: Multiple Causes. Comment. Science 328:973.
  • Wilson, G.P. 2013. Mammals across the K/Pg boundary in northeastern Montana, U.S.A.: dental morphology and body-size patterns reveal extinction selectivity and immigrant-fueled ecospace filling. Paleobiology 39(3):429–469. 
  • Wilson, G.P. 2014. Mammalian extinction, survival, and recovery dynamics across the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary in northeastern Montana, USA. GSA Special Papers 503: 365–392. 
CONTACT US!